Friday the 13th: Do you believe in these?

Today is Friday the 13th, known by many as the unluckiest day of the year.

While many laugh off the superstitious day, others remain in bed paralysed by fear and avoid daily tasks, conducting business or travelling. In the US, an estimated 17 to 21 million people suffer from a fear of Friday the 13th. This phobia is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia.

The origin of fears surrounding Friday the 13th is unclear. There is reportedly no written evidence of Friday the 13th superstition before the 19th century, but superstitions surrounding the number 13 date back to at least 1700 BC.

There are a number of popular myths and superstitions surrounding the day.

1. If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, someone in your family will die.

2. If a funeral procession passes you on Friday the 13th, you will be the next to die.

3. Do not start a trip on Friday or you will encounter misfortune.

4. If you break a mirror on Friday the 13th, you will have seven years of bad luck.

5. A child born on Friday the 13th will be unlucky for life.

6. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck.

7. If you walk under a ladder or if a black cat crosses you on Friday the 13th, you will have bad luck

8. Beginner’s luck: newbies are unusually likely to win when they try out a sport, game or activity for the first time.

9. Find a penny, pick it up and all day long, you’ll have good luck.

10. A rabbit’s foot will bring you luck.

11. Bad luck comes in threes.

12. Knock on wood: This phrase is almost like a verbal talisman, designed to ward off bad luck after tempting fate: “Breaking that mirror didn’t bring me any trouble, knock on wood.”

13. Make a wish on a wishbone: The tradition of turkey bone tug-of-war goes back a long way. Legend has it that first-century Romans used to fight over dried wishbones – which they believed were good luck – and would accidentally break them, ushering in the idea that whoever has the largest bit of bone gets their wish.

14. Opening an umbrella indoors is supposed to bring bad luck.

15. If anything bad happens to you on Friday the 13th, the two will be forever associated in your mind.